In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration can proceed with a new rule severely limiting the distribution of green cards to any immigrants who are likely to become dependent on welfare and other government benefits, Reuters reports.
With all five conservative justices in the majority, the court lifted a block on the rule that had been implemented by a single judge in New York named George Daniels. As a result of the ruling, the administration can begin implementing the law nationwide.
Judge Daniels, in initially blocking the rule, falsely claimed that the rule was “repugnant to the American Dream” and “a policy of exclusion in search of a justification.” The lawsuit attempting to block the rule was filed by the states of New York, Connecticut, and Vermont.
The ruling is yet another victory for the Trump Administration’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, as well as abuse of the legal immigration system by aliens. Proponents of the new rule have pointed out that it eases spending by the federal government on non-citizens in favor of giving such benefits to actual American citizens, while its critics claim, without evidence, that it amounts to a “wealth test” that will exclude non-white immigrants.